Round Records

Ginger 'Market Harbour'

Round Records

Ginger 'Market Harbour'

Welcome to the world of Ginger. One of the UK’s most prolific and best loved rock artists. Vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, lyricist, story teller and story maker, Ginger is eclecticism personified. Whether it’s producing some of the best loved British hard rock music with the institution that is The Wildhearts, touring with the Scorchers (Jason Ringenberger’s band) as Ginger and The Scorchers or solo albums such as 2007’s critically acclaimed “Yoni” or original stints in the Quireboys and The Throbs, Ginger is a unique UK artist to treasure…

Ginger is set to add to the legend with the release of new solo album “Market Harbour”. Impossible again to categorise the album is 21 songs/segues/ and sixty minutes and twenty four seconds long. With no break in the music throughout the album, and packed with a weird and wonderful array of samples and loops in addition to instrumentation, the record is a showcase for the diverse talent of Ginger.

From the classic Ginger-esque opener and first single “Casino Bay” (a mid tempo stormer awash with hooks) to country n western meets “Hats Off To Roy Harper”-esque skiffle instrumental “The Ninns Of Mourning”, from the Roger Waters infused “House Of Moths” to the punked up three minute blast of “Overeasy”, from the Burt Bacharach lilt of 67 second instrumental “Tenants” to the beautiful soaring instrumentation and melodies of “I Knew You (An Amensis)”, from the do-wop pop of “Couple Trouble” to the rolling toms of instrumental “Eye Of The Rotunda” and the slow build epic album closer “Shatterproof” with it’s haunting refrain of “How Can You Kill Something / That Will Not Die”, “Market Harbour” is a wildly ambitious album that only someone of Gingers creative talents could pull off as successfully as he does

Tracklisting:1. Casino Bay 2. Soap Hammer 3. The Queen Of Leaving 4. Attentionette 5. The Ninns Of Mourning 6. House Of Moths 7. How Hard Can You Make It? 8. Awareness And The Great Integrity 9. A Philosophical Conversation About Age 10. Josser Bank 11. Tennants 12. Regret.Com 13. Black Yeah 14. I Knew You (An Amnesis) 15. You And Me (That's What I Want) 16. Couple Trouble 17. The Perilous Burden Of Prodigal Obligation 18. A Malibu Chronicle 19. Overeasy 20. Eye Of The Rotunda 21. Shatterproof

With his second release for the Swiss-based Hallow Ground imprint after 2016’s Soisong reissue, Ivan Pavlov pays tribute to the late Sentrax founder and prolific musician John Everall, who passed away in September 2014. Sourced from analogue material provided by the artist widely known for his output under the Tactile moniker for a collaboration that never came to fruition, the six tracks are an exercise in minimalism and subtlety singular even in Pavlov’s impressive back catalogue.

From the joyful, handclap-driven »2016« to the hectic gabber derivate »OVERBEAT«, the Russian producer explores a minimalistic yet organic palette of synthesizer sounds that stylistically reach from the hymnic poise of »WAVETRAP« to the playful and warm vibes of »ALONE (MINIMAL SELFIE)«.

While it might sound almost pointillistic on first listen, COH plays EVERALL unfolds its multitude of layers slowly over time. With a feature of Coil’s John Balance on the CD-only bonus track »Hunger Remix«, Pavlov adds yet another facet to this evocative marriage of sonic purity and emotional rawness.

Over a throbbing rhythm, the late poet’s dry intonation serves as an eerie coda to this tender tribute to lost friends. As a dialogue between this world and the other, CoH’s digital manipulation and Everall’s analogue source material as well as stark minimalism and tonal richness, COH plays EVERALL captures two kindred spirits bidding each other farewell.

With its second release, Akuphone keeps exploring Asia with an original compilation of Japanese singer Chiemi Eri. This edition – which is available in vinyl, CD and digital - includes exclusive liner notes and a rich calligraphed booklet containing the romanization of lyrics. It encourages to (re)discover Chiemi Eri’s recordings. On this compilation, Akuphone has brought together 16 songs from 10 inches albums originally released by King Records (Japan) between 1958 and 1962.

As the daughter of a musician father and a singer mother, Chiemi Eri (1937-1982) grew up in a musical environment. When she was still a teenager, she started a career as a singer on US military bases. She became famous by singing numerous classics from the post-war American musical repertoire.

At the age of 14 she recorded the song Tennessee Waltz with King Records, which turned out to be an immediate success, the first of many others. Chiemi Eri is considered as one of the most famous Japanese singers of the 20th century, more precisely of the Showa era (1926-1989), named after the Japanese emperor of the time, better known under his westernized name Hirohito.

Both a singer and an actress – she played in more than 50 films, as well as many theatre plays – she definitely made a mark in the post-war Japanese cultural landscape, along with fellow singer-actresses Izumi Yukimura and Hibari Misora.

The success of these true national icons, who were nicknamed « the three sisters », can be connected to the specific context of the time, that is the cultural opening of Japan which, although initiated a century before, accelerated with the US military occupation of the archipelago (1945-1952).

This period saw the import of popular musical styles of the time: jazz, be-bop, swing, mambo, etc, as well as the development of a hybrid musical style - the Kayokyoku - which consists of a delicious mix of so-called “western” music with Japanese music. Combining vocal jazz, Latino rhythms and Japanese folk, this new compilation of Chiemi Eri offers an original musical syncretism.

Supported by Tadaaki Misago and the Tokyo Cuban Boys – the oldest and most prolific latin-jazz group in Japan – Chiemi Eri sings themes, in Japanese, that are mainly taken from the traditional folklore. Thus, the drums and brass of the Cuban arrangements are mixed with the Min’yo, which shows how rich these folk songs are: every region, every local tradition, every event is celebrated by a particular song or dance.

Chiemi Eri also reveals the vocal prowess specific to the Min’yo, in particular the kobushi, a sort of melisma – this vocal technic that consists in singing a single syllable while moving between several different notes in succession.

This compilation, which surprisingly blends Min’yo and latin-jazz elements, invites to the discovery of the archipelago from a different perspective.

As the first entry in its catalog, Akuphone presents a reissue of Lily Chao’s Chinese Folk Songs, originally released by Four Seas Records in 1968.

This edition includes four previously unheard titles and exclusive liner notes containing Lily Chao’s biography and lyric translations. Chao Xiao-Jun aka Lily Chao was born in Taiwan in 1948, while mainland China was rapidly undergoing major changes immediately following the end of the Chinese Civil War.

After experiencing hard times in her girlhood, she ventured out into singing quite unwillingly. Indeed, at age 19, Lily Chao was compelled to give up her studies to support her family and start a career as a singer, after passing an audition at the Taipei Cabaret in Taiwan.

The cabaret industry was in full swing at the time, offering destinations for popular entertainment, and Lily Chao’s efforts to launch her singing career immediately attracted producers’ attention. Her appearances at the Taipei Cabaret as part of its shows, which combined music in Mandarin, poetry, drama, magic, and other fine arts, soon earned her a reputation.

Despite the immediate success that her numerous stage performances and appearances on the national television channel won her, Lily Chao led a chaotic and painful private life. As she smiled very little and tended to appear distant, the audience dubbed her the «Ice Queen,» a nickname that she would keep for the rest of her career. This barely-concealed melancholy can be felt throughout Chinese Folk Songs, as well as in her very particular way of singing, which is both jerky and perfectly fluid.

The album stands halfway between Mandarin folk songs and rock singing inspired by The Shadows, all surf guitar and garage sounds recorded with pinpoint precision and enhanced by saxophone and organ touches, while Lily Chao’s intoxicating vibratos bring a pinch of soul to the music.An outstanding achievement of timeless pop music from the 1960s.

SULO (Diamond Dogs) cooks up a traditional British dish and invites along some of finest chefs for a greasy spoon of rock n’ roll". Since Diamond Dogs called it a day after releasing their final effort "Quitters and Complainers" frontman Sulo Karlsson been a very busy man.

Sulo has seen active duty touring and recording with his UK supergroup The Crunch (Terry Chimes/Clash, Dave Tregunna/Sham 69, Mick Geggus/Cockney Rejects), releasing a country duet album "Sulo's Brilliant Outsiders" that saw him share the microphone with artists such a as Maria Mckee, Bellamy Brothers, Paul Young, Janis Ian and more as well as releasing an Americana masterpiece with The Piggyback Riders featuring legendary U.K. Guitarist Chris Spedding.

But even if Diamond Dogs is now history, his deep love for British 70's rock by the likes of Rod Stewart, Frankie Miller and Mott the Hoople has not cooled.

’Sulo's Full English’ kicks off in classic Diamond Dogs fashion. 12 newly penned tracks sounding, smelling and tasting like swinging London 1973. The album combines soul, country and all the ingredients that used to make rock n roll great - backed up by some of the finest musicians in Britain including Chris Spedding, Jamie Moses, Chris Parks, Melvin Duffy and more.

‘Full English’ is produced by Kevin Poree (James Brown, Radiohead). From the opening chord of the heavy rocker "Lady Jane" to the final breath of the smoky ballad "My Bounty From Above" it's all killer and no filler and all guided by the blue-eyed soulful raspy voice of Sulo.

And if that wasn't enough you'll get "The Full English Extras" with tracks taken from the soundtrack of Sulo's book project "Keep Yourself Alive".

This Includes exclusive guest appearances from Wilko Johnson, Spike (The Quireboys) and tracks co-written with Billy Bremner (Rockpile) and Robert Wyatt.

‘Full English’ is a total of 19 track high calorie loaded tracks. That’s what you call ‘A FULL ENGLISH’